Lawmaker urges "common sense" concealed carry law

CHICAGO (AP) -- A state representative from Chicago says lawmakers across the state must work together to craft a rational and "common sense" concealed carry law.

Democratic state Rep. Ken Dunkin told an audience at a town hall meeting in Chicago Saturday that concealed carry "is coming" to Illinois. He and other Chicago lawmakers held the meeting to gather input from constituents about proposed firearms legislation.

A federal appellate court judge ruled in December that the state's concealed carry ban was unconstitutional. He gave lawmakers 180 days to write a law legalizing it.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan is appealing the ruling, but the judge's deadline remains.

Gun-rights advocates have argued the state ban violates the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment and what they see as Americans' right to carry guns for self-defense.

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